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If you are a neutral college football fan then this is unquestionably the best week of the season so far. We have a pair of top-ten tilts and a 3rd game that s between a pair of power conference undefeateds. We also have the game that everyone thought might decide the frontrunner in the Pac-12 and still should be a fantastic ranked matchup. If there’s one flaw in the lineup it’s that the night options are underwhelming. But there’s still 10 straight hours of great college football even if it’s now 13 straight hours.
SUGGESTED VIEWING GUIDE (all times PT)
9:00 AM: #10 Penn State (5-0) at #5 Michigan (5-0), FOX
DraftKings Betting Line: Michigan -7, O/U 51
We should find out whether either of these teams has a shot to dethrone Ohio State and win the B1G this season. Penn State has gotten it done with a relentless pass rush, taking over the role Michigan had last year. Blake Corum killed the Huskies last year for Michigan and he has been one of the best running backs in the country this season. A Michigan win would likely set up for a winner takes all match against the Buckeyes during the last week of the season.
12:30 PM: #3 Alabama (6-0) at #6 Tennessee (5-0) CBS
DraftKings Betting Line: Alabama -7.5, O/U 66
Alabama has looked vulnerable with a pair of incredibly narrow victories over Texas and Texas A&M. Meanwhile Tennessee has looked like a juggernaut at times and QB Hendon Hooker is one of the main threats to take away the Heisman from Bama QB Bryce Young. Expect to see some offensive fireworks in a game that will go a long way to determining who is the biggest threat to Georgia in the SEC.
12:30 PM Alternate Viewing Option: #8 Oklahoma State (5-0) at #13 TCU (5-0), ABC
DraftKings Betting Line: TCU -3.5. O/U 68.5
The Big 12 has not gotten as much national attention as it maybe should have because Oklahoma cratered and Texas lost a few games without Quinn Ewers at QB. That has opened the door for one of these two teams to make a run at a playoff berth. Last week TCU managed to beat undefeated Kansas and now they’ll need to withstand another test under first year head coach Sonny Dykes. Can they actually make a miracle run to the CFP?
1:07 PM MLB Alternate Viewing Option: Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners, TBS
Not a college football game, but also duh.
2:30 PM: Arizona (3-3) at Washington (4-2), Pac-12 Network
DraftKings Betting Line: Washington -14, O/U 73
Duh.
5:00 PM: #7 USC (6-0) at #20 Utah (4-2), FOX
DraftKings Betting Line: Utah -3.5, O/U 65
Coming into this season the smart money was on the winner of this game being the favorite to both win the Pac-12 and compete for a Playoff berth. Now Utah is all but eliminated from that last bit but is still a dangerous team. The advanced metrics aren’t quite sold on USC being as good as their ranking in the AP Poll so they enter this one as road underdogs despite the undefeated record. A win by Utah would muddy the waters and seemingly create a 4-team race for 2 spots in the Pac-12 title game with Oregon and UCLA plus this pair. A win by USC and it narrows the race to 3 going into the UCLA at Oregon matchup next weekend.
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If you missed any of our preview coverage this week you can find it all here:
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